Jayden Daniels. Thats it. Thats the only two words anyone can use when describing the Monday Night Football game we just witnessed. The Washington Commanders entered Monday night as seven-and-a-half-point underdogs to Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals. Two former LSU quarterbacks, under the lights on primetime national television, made an excellent storyline for fans to follow.
Little did we know we would witness the best rookie quarterback performance in the NFL's history. Jaydebn Daniels and the Commanders' offense absolutely bulldozed through the Cinncinatti defense to pull off a shocking 38-33 upset in front of the entire country.
The (Monday) Night King
Elite players perform at their best under pressure and when the spotlight is on them. Through the first two weeks, Daniels has shown plenty of positive signs and growth as a rookie. The one criticism has been the offense's inability to finish drives in the red zone, and Daniels is still looking for his first touchdown pass of his career.
The Washington offense as a whole just had a different swagger this week, but more on that later. On the second half's opening drive, the rookie broke the ice and threw a touchdown to, get this, Trent Scott, his offensive lineman. With the milestone finally out of the way, Daniels outdueled Joe Burrow, capping off the night with an absolute dime-piece touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin that all but iced the game.
Battle of the Bayou Boys
This game was an LSU football fans' fantasy, having Burrow and Daniels share the stage after each won a Heisman for the Tigers. The big question on everyone's mind was whether young Jayden could outduel the four-year veteran Joe who preceded him.
Both quarterbacks lived up to the hype by putting on a show in entirely different ways, but the one colossal similarity was their ability to protect the ball. Monday night's thriller became the first NFL game without a turnover or a punt since 1940—that's how well these two played. The Bengals' defense kept waiting for the rookie to make a mistake in the spotlight, but it never came, and the Commanders hung on for their second win of the season.
Daniels finished the game 21 of 23 with 254 yards and two touchdown passes while rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown. Burrow lit up the night on his end, too, going 29 of 28 for 324 yards and three touchdowns.
Kings(bury) Landing
It took a few weeks, and there were flashes of it early on, but we finally saw what a Kliff Kingsbury offense is capable of when all the right things click. In Week 3, the running game, the blocking, and the receiving core all had their best games of the early season. It would be ideal to have your star rookie quarterback now be your leading rusher, but with Austin Ekeler leaving the game with a concussion, Washington adjusted accordingly.
The playcalling instilled confidence in the rookie, so much so that he convinced Dan Quinn to let the offense stay out on the field and convert a crucial fourth down. The ball was spread around the entire team, with the right Commanders finishing the game with at least one reception. It may only be one win on a Monday night in Week 3 of the NFL season, but for this Commanders team, it has the chance to be so much more.
Up Next: Duel in the Desert against Kyler Murray and the 1-2 Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona
Final Score: Washington Commanders 38, Cincinnati Bengals 33
Santoro's Three Stars
1st Star - QB Jayden Daniels (Passing: 21/23, 254 YDS, 2 TD -- Rushing 12 CAR, 39 YDS, TD)
2nd Star - WR Terry McLaurin (4 REC, 100 YDS, TD)
3rd Star - K Austin Seibert (1/1 FG, 5/5 PAT)
Main Image via
Comments